Hope

It’s been three years to the days since Amelia has had to face the worst kind of pain a mother could imagine. But she remembers it like it was just yesterday. Amelia had the perfect life before that day. Her husband, Robert Davies, was the most perfect man you could ever ask for. His salt and pepper hair and caramel eyes had her swooning since the day they met. And he always told her that it was her storm grey eyes that made him fall in love with at first sight. She lived in a beautiful neighborhood and she wanted for nothing. She didn’t think her life could get any better until the day she gave birth to her daughter, Hope. She was everything Amelia had ever wanted. Her pin straight brown hair was just like her mother’s, her nose curled up a little bit at the end so it was the cutest thing when she wrinkled her nose, and her caramel eyes twinkled since her first breath. Amelia never imagined all of that being ripped away from her. Hope was playing in the front yard like she always does after school. Amelia was folding laundry and had a direct view of Hope. She was making crowns with the wildflowers growing on the lawn. Amelia had turned her back for less than two minutes to get a second basket of laundry. But when she turned back, Hope was gone. Her flower crown was on the ground where she had been sitting. But there was no sign of Hope.Amelia checked the front yard, backyard, the house, and even checked with everyone on the street if Hope was with them. When the sun began to set, panic started spreading throughout the community. Everyone from the block drove across town, calling Hope’s name. The police joined the search fifteen minutes later. They found nothing. But the police told Amelia not to worry. 99% of all missing children come home. She had called the police right away - she had done everything right.Amelia spent hours in an interrogation room, in front of the media, on the phone, trying to make up for the two minutes she took her eyes off of her baby girl. The police interviewed every single person Hope had ever come into contact with - they said if she had been abducted, it would most likely be somebody who had talked to her before. Amelia didn’t know how to feel. She felt completely numb to the world one second and the next, she couldn’t differentiate between anger, grief, or pain. She hoped this was all just a bad dream and Hope would walk down the stairs, asking what all these people were doing in their house. But that’s not what happened. Amelia had to endure her worst nightmare. Of course, Amelia and Robert had hoped that she had just run off and gotten lost. But after three hours of finding nothing, the police began questioning Amelia. “Has a stranger ever taken any particular interest in your daughter?”“No of course not. I’ve always told her to be careful. She knows about stranger danger.” “Did you or your husband take her somewhere unusual lately? Perhaps a carnival or a state fair?”“No. She hasn’t been anywhere but school and back home since summer.” “Has Hope been acting strangely in the last couple of weeks?” “Hope has been the happy, carefree girl she’s always been. Nothing has been different.” The detectives asked if they could search Hope’s room to see if there were any clues as to where she could have gone. “She is 8 years old. It’s not like she’s leading a secret double life. What could you find there that we haven’t already told you?” Amelia said. But they insisted. They said that they might find something that would seem unimportant to Amelia but could be the key to finding her. Her sparkly pink bedroom told the detectives everything they needed to know. Her bookshelf was overflowing with books - her favorite ones were set on the very top. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Anne of Green Gables, and Charlottes Web were the most used. “The only thing we really spoil her with is books,” Amelia said from the doorway as the detectives went through her books. She tried to hold back tears but they overflowed as she talked about Hope. “She wanted to be a writer when she grew up,” she sobbed.Detective Pascoretti put her hand on Amelia’s shoulder. “I know that you’re living your worst nightmare but Hope is strong and smart. She is a survivor.” Detective Caldone flipped through the books on her bookshelf. “What are you looking for?” Amelia asked. “We’re just making sure we’re not missing something. Why don’t you go and check with your husband to see if he’s heard anything,” Detective Pascoretti said. Amelia nodded and went to the kitchen. Robert was sitting at the dining room table, calling everyone he knew in town to be on the lookout for Hope. “The detectives are looking at Hope’s room,” Amelia said taking the seat next to Robert. He looked up from his phone call and gave her a soft nod. “Okay, thanks, Bill. Let me know if you hear anything. We just want our Hope back,” he finished his call and set the phone on the table. Robert wrapped Amelia’s hand in both of his. “You can’t blame yourself, darling. There was nothing you could have done.” He tried to meet her eyes but she refused to look up from the table.“It’s easy for you to say. I was five feet from her. If I hadn’t looked away, she would be in our arms right now,” Amelia pulled her sweater closer to her, tears falling from her eyes. “I know there is nothing I can say that would bring Hope back, but I need you to know that there is not a single person in this world that blames you,” he slipped his fingers under chin and tilted her face up so her eyes met his. “Hope is smart and strong. She’ll know that we’re doing our best to get her back with us.” They jumped when the door opened with a loud bang. Detective Martinez came sprinting through. Robert and Amelia stood up, wiped the tears from their face and met him in the living room. “Did you find something detective?” Robert asked. Detective Martinez nodded, out of breath. “You need to see this,” he turned around, almost running to the house across the street. Robert and Amelia allowed themselves a little hope at the idea of finally finding a lead. They followed him across the street to their neighbor’s house.There were three uniformed officers and another detective staring at a computer screen. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Dorburn were an elderly couple that would babysit Hope whenever they could. They were sitting in the living area talking to an officer.Detective Martinez motioned them over to the computer screen and rewinded the video that was playing. “Mr. Dorburn put up video cameras when a few of the houses around the neighborhood got robbed. The camera happens to be pointing right into your front yard.” They watched Hope playing in the front yard, making her flower crown and Amelia folding laundry in front of the window. Amelia glanced at Hope, gave her a small smile, and left the room. Three seconds later, a black van pulled up right in front of the front lawn. The door slid open and someone wearing a black ski mask came out, grabbed Hope and dragged her back into the van. She didn’t even have enough time to scream. The van peeled off the curb and drove down the street. The entire incident took less than thirty seconds. Fifteen seconds later, Amelia came back to the window with a laundry basket in her hand. She was smiling and humming when she glanced up to check on Hope. Detective Martinez paused the video. Robert and Amelia were holding each other, tears streaming down their face. Amelia looked up at Martinez. “Who was that?” she whispered. “We’ve run the license plates. The van was stolen from another state. There were no identifying marks on the person that took your daughter. And there isn’t a clear image of the driver,” he ran a hand through his hair. The bags under his eyes and slumped shoulders said that there was more to this story than a lost child. “These people knew your routine. Knew exactly where Hope would be. Knew when you would be doing laundry. They had grabbed Hope in less than thirty seconds. They were synchronized and knew exactly how long the abduction would take.” Robert tightened his hold on Amelia as she sobbed into his shoulder. “What are you saying?” he asked. “I don’t think this was their first time. They’ve been watching you for a while and saw an opportunity to take your daughter. I’ve called the FBI. They should be here in a half hour. I suggest you and your wife make a list of everywhere you went and anyone who has ever had access to your home in the past year.”He was right. This wasn’t their first time doing this. The FBI discovered that Hope had been taken by a human trafficking ring. They told her that Hope was only one of hundreds of kids her age who had been taken, but that was all they knew about the group. The human trafficking ring was insular and if anything went wrong, they were quick to execute any witnesses. Amelia and Robert divorced a year after Hope’s disappearance. Robert wanted to move on from the ordeal but Amelia couldn’t allow herself to heal. Because moving on meant accepting Hope was never coming home. “She’s alive Robert. I can feel it,” Amelia pleaded with Robert. They had been going to couple’s counseling for months but the distance between them was still there. “No honey, she’s not,” his voice was soft but she saw the frustration in his eyes. He sat next to her and held her hand. He wanted to forget. Forget the pain of never being able to hold his little girl in his arms again. See her graduate college. Get her first job. “Yes. She. Is.” Amelia demanded. How could he not see that their little was suffering? How could he sit there and do nothing when she was probably going through unimaginable pain. “Why do you want to give up on her so quickly?” She pulled her hand from his and got up from the couch. “It’s like you just want to forget that she ever existed.” He sighed and buried his head in his hands. “You know that’s not true Amelia. I love her more than anything. But what do you suggest we do?” He demanded, his voice going an octave higher. "I don’t know! Anything! Anything but sit here and wait for something to change,” she yelled across the room. Her eyes were filled with tears and her hands were shaking. “What are you going to do? You’ve never been anything but a housewife! You couldn’t even be there for our little girl when she need you most!” He snarled. Amelia recoiled as if he had hit her, her body frozen in shock. She knew it. She knew that he’s been itching to say those words since he found out that Hope had been kidnapped. The tears fell from Amelia’s eyes and she nodded. “You finally said it. I’ve been waiting to hear you say those words for months.” He stood up and walked towards her, his hand reaching out for her. “You know I didn’t mean that. This was not your fault,” but Amelia was shaking her head. She took a step back. “No. You’re right. I’ve never done anything but be a housewife. The only thing I’ve cared about for eight years was Hope. And I can’t just give up on her. She’s alive. And she’s hurting. And I have to help her. If you won’t help me then I’ll do it on my own,” she walked out of the room. They got a divorce soon after that and Robert moved out. He couldn’t stand living the home that Hope should have grown up in. But Amelia needed the daily reminder that her daughter was still out there. Living on her own was one of the hardest things she’s ever done. She’d never been on her own before. But Amelia got a job as a receptionist, started going to support groups for mothers who had lost their children, and even got a dog. None of it was going to replace Hope, but she for the first time since Hope’s disappearance, she had a reason to get out of bed in the mornings. It was like she had been missing something those few months after Hope was kidnapped. Like she was stuck in the same place and she wasn’t moving forward. That was two years ago. It was an uphill battle, but Amelia found the will to keep going. It was Hope that gave her the strength to become who she needed to be to save her baby.“Montgomery. You ready for this?” Agent Sullivan asked from the back seat of the van. Her bright red lipstick a stark contrast to her pale skin. Her black hair, soft blue eyes, and tight dress made her look like snow white went to the dark side. Amelia touched up her eye shadow and nodded to Sullivan. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years Katie,” she said. She fixed her short bodycon dress and made sure the gun strapped to her thigh was covered. When she and Robert got divorced, Amelia didn’t know what to do with herself. She stayed in bed for a month before she got the strength to think about the future. It took her two months to finally change her last name back to her maiden name. It took her three before she got a job. But when she got back on her feet, it wasn’t just Hope she wanted to fight for. It was all the other mothers in her support group that had lost children. The anger burned deep inside her and it was going to tear her in half if she didn’t do something. So she decided to do something good. She worked harder than she ever had before to make it to the FBI academy. And then she worked even harder to make it into the domestic trafficking task force. And she finally felt at home. Like she was doing the work she was meant to all along. Their number one target was the trafficking ring that took Hope. It took Amelia a while, but she eventually opened up about Hope to her coworkers. In the beginning, they didn’t know much about this group. Just the fact that these children were raised in homes across the United States almost as foster children. There was no pattern to who was aducted. Any age, any socioeconomic background. Any race. Any sexual orientation. Andy weight. Any height. It was completely random. When they turned 10 years old, they were sold to the highest bidder. Everything was down online through encrypted servers and no names or locations were ever mentioned. Everything was written in a code that changed every single meeting and as soon as they got a trace on a buyer or seller, they logged off. But the tables turned when they got an anonymous tip about a pimp that buys from the ring. This particular pimp, Johnny G., was known for providing underage girls but the local police could never tell where he was getting his supply. If they could manage to find and save just one of the girls he had bought from the ring, they would have a real lead. For the last few weeks, Amelia and Katie have been working undercover as madams at Johnny’s parties. They “facilitated” the relationship between his working girls and some of the people that paid for their services. It was a nauseating job that kept Amelia awake most nights. But she had to think of the bigger picture. They all did. Today was a special day though. They heard that Johnny was bringing some new girls to try out. Katie and Amelia spent days looking at pictures of children who may have been kidnapped and renditions of what they would look like as ten year olds. It was a long shot and all of this work may be for nothing if they can’t identify which girls were human trafficking victims. Or it could mean the dismantling of one of the worst crime organizations in the world. The van is parked a block away from where Johnny is throwing the party. Agent Wilson is going to stay in the van, and agents Crandall and Warke are in a parked car on the other side of the house. The plan was to locate a child trafficking victim, quietly pull her outside, show her their credentials, and get her in the van. There might be more than one victim at the party, but they wanted to get their witness out of the house with the least amount of bloodshed possible. If that meant leaving some other girls in that house for a few more days, then that’s what has to happen. Amelia and Katie slipped out of the van. “Good luck and be safe,” Agent Wilson said from the van before sliding the door shut behind them. They walked towards Johnny’s house - the only one with lights on and music blaring. They walked to the back entrance and the bouncers let them in without blinking an eye. Two of Johnny’s helpers, Stacey and Natasha, were already getting the place ready.“Good you’re here. Go make sure the girls are ready. They’re upstairs,” Natasha said not even turning around. The house was how it always was - a few leather couches, dance music blaring from the speakers, and a fully stocked bar in the corner. These parties that Johnny threw were only for his most elite clients. The ones that could afford to spend a few hundred thousand in one night. Amelia smiled inwardly. This couldn’t be any more perfect. Her and Katie would be able to examine the girls as much as they wanted. All the girls were in one of the rooms upstairs trying to get ready when Katie and Amelia walked in. And all the girls froze. “From a line in front of me. We have to inspect you before you go and entertain,” Katie said, her voice like the crack of a whip as the girls scrambled to find a place in line. Amelia stood by the corner carefully looking at each girl and making note of who resembled some of the photos she had looked at that morning. Katie walked from girl to girl, inspecting her body and clothing, putting up appearances of an experienced madam.When Amelia got the end of the line, her heart nearly stopped. Hope. Her knees buckled at the image of her daughter. The blood in her veins turned to ice and her heart was pounding so fast that she couldn’t hear anything but the blood flowing through her body.It was her.Her pin straight light brown hair. Just like mom’s.It was her.The little upturn of her nose right at the tip that made her look absolutely adorable when she wrinkled her nose. It was her. ​It was her Hope.